Cool as a white cucumber.

It was 1p.m. on a Friday and I had two tasks left on my preparation list before the evening shift arrived at the seafood restaurant where I work as a Chef De Partie. First I needed to make a white balsamic reduction: add white balsamic vinegar, lemon rind, lemon juice, and white wine into a pot and simmer until there is a quarter less liquid. Finally, before I could go home and rest from a long shift, I was to cut white cucumbers in one-eighth inch circles.

Wait a second-white cucumbers?

White cucumbers indeed. These beige- skinned cucumbers are about the size of an index finger and lighter on the inside than a normal cuke.

White cucumbers, also known as “white wonders,” are rare. Believed to have been from India, this fruit – yes, cucumbers are a fruit - is an heirloom cucumber with tender skin, different from that of the more popular “slicers” served in North America. Cucumbers grown for the U.S. are generally longer and smoother with a tougher skin.

White cucumbers are hard to find at the local grocery store but you can order the seeds online from farmers, usually in other countries. If you are not keen on planting, watering and waiting, there are a few farmers on the East Coast who grow them; the restaurant where I work buys from a small farm in Pennsylvania. The white wonders grow best in very hot and humid climates and can reach up to nine and a half inches in some conditions.

Giddy though I was with my personal discovery of this ingredient, I could only impress one other cook in the food-jaded atmosphere of a professional kitchen. If you ever come across a white cucumber yourself, be sure to grab it and show someone who can appreciate it. Then, take it home and toss it into a refreshing salad with dill, salt, olive oil, and grape tomatoes-but show them off by not peeling them